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Amusement Parks: Pixieland Park – a Potted History

Pixieland Park is an amusement park in Willow Pass Park which is located in Concord in California.

The amusement park began operating in the late 1950s when Norman Rosenburg, a local toy store owner, built the park next door to his shop and named it King Norman’s Wonderland. It featured a train, merry go round, a Ferris wheel and miniature cars which needed you to obtain a driving license which was issued by the amusement park. 

In 1965, the amusement park was closed due to the expansion of the shopping centre but an employee of the amusement park, Bill Edwards, bought the rides when it closed down and moved them to Oakland for a spell before returning to Willow Pass Park in 1970 where the amusement park was reopened as ‘Pixieplayland’. Bill continued to run the park until his retirement in 1989 at which point the city of Concord purchased a number of the rides and put Sam Johnston in charge of the amusement park’s operations the following year.

In 1995, the amusement park was completely renovated and 5 years later, it was sold to its current owner Jeff Warrenburg. Since then, the amusement park has been run by a city partnership and lease agreement in conjunction with the private operators which have resulted in further improvements. The rides include the Spinning Teacups, Flying Dragon Coaster and Backroad Buggies. There is also a merry go round and the amusement park has a miniature train ride which travels around the park which is extremely popular with toddlers and younger children.

In fact, the amusement park is mainly focused on providing attractions and rides for those aged 2-12 and has proved to be an extremely popular place to hold children’s birthday parties where, as well as some cool rides for kids, they can also be entertained by clowns. There is also a snack bar and plenty of picnic tables at the amusement park.

See also:
Amusement Parks: The Balboa Fun Zone – a Potted History
Amusement Parks: Castle Park – a Potted History
Amusement Parks: California’s Great America – a Potted History
Amusement Parks: Legoland California – a Potted History

 

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